If you aren’t yet curious about apps or you believe that they can cannibalise print, then perhaps you would be interested in our mythbusting facts (sponsored feature from PageSuite).
Readers downloading many of our clients’ apps actually increase their tendency to buy print editions, with 18 per cent new to these brands altogether.
Maybe you doubt apps’ longevity in comparison to print, which can be quashed by evidence that 95 per cent of our publishers’ branded apps are still installed on readers’ handsets some six months post download… the remaining five per cent is probably just the competition.
You will have not escaped the many recent iDevice, Tablet and Smartphone launches, culminating in a wave of media and social comment; upon which we as publishers are looking to make key strategic decisions.
Firstly you must define your own success – whether it is enticing new customers or customer demographics, being best in class, invigorating advertisers, driving data capture or increasing good old-fashioned profit.
Across all of our clients’ apps, PageSuite has achieved each of the above; developing three number one news apps in multiple territories, whilst six have been marketed in iTunes’ featured listings, increasing downloads by 350-500 per cent, with sales and advertising revenues following suit.
In our experience, which goes beyond mobile into digital publishing, nearly every one of our 1000 clients has a different strategy, agenda and future goal. These strategies are now being further challenged in a burgeoning and opportunity-laden marketplace, which is accelerating at tremendous pace and with tenacity.
Will the iPad be a Christmas bestseller? You bet.
Will Apple and Google stock prices continue to soar in 2011? Yes again.
Does the next decade see continued mobile growth and the proliferation of tablets both locally and globally? It is going to happen.
The best place to learn of and gain exposure to this expanding market is by being part of it – competing, trialling and delivering optimised content on a range of devices.
In comparison, our bespoke app to a white label app is very much like your Saville Row suit to an off the peg, designer label. Both are expertly crafted and designed, with the price difference reflecting how many expert tucks and alterations you require.
Across the industry, leading publishers like Guardian News and Media, Financial Times and Telegraph Media Group have seen similar success to that of our own clients, all employing various techniques to display and monetise content. The often most controversial app functionality, in its simplicity, is replicating the printed product, which has proved increasingly popular across our app portfolio.
It is also refreshing to note that News International employ similar principles: The Sun’s layout and stylistic qualities of print are evidently enhanced through mobile and tablet devices. In fact, this PDF element of our clients’ apps engages the average reader for upwards of 20 minutes on the iPhone and for over 40 minutes with the iPad.
These are very sellable statistics to advertisers, whilst raising interesting mobile auditing concepts around the value of a reader’s interactivity against unique visits.
Replication raises the question of perception and customer expectations. Our qualitative data, collected from hundreds of feedback emails, shows that for newspaper and B2B publishers, content in its most pure, instant and replicated format is well received. So much so, that across all of our apps, replica editions generate nearly four million page impressions each week, driven by over 500,000 downloads.
Comparatively, Wired-esque publications present high-tech content to high-tech readers, so customers inevitably demand more advanced and rich media focussed content. To provide a solution, we have developed a new media tool that allows video and dynamic content to be positioned throughout your edition’s pages, creating an interactive experience across iPhone and iPad applications.
We also develop brand extension apps, driven by strong print elements, such as our development for Metro Canada’s ‘Play’ crossword and Sudoku app and also our new classified advertising portal.
PageSuite are well positioned to develop bespoke mobile app solutions or be your partner of choice for zero cost, white-label applications. Metro UK, Express Newspapers, City AM, The Scotsman and a host of other international and regional publishers have all trusted PageSuite to develop their bespoke iPhone or iPad apps, with new publishers scheduled to launch our first white-label solutions imminently.
To find out more about PageSuite’s bespoke application development and white-label solutions: Visit www.pagesuite.com.
Email ben.edwards@pagesuite.com
Or call +44 (0) 1233 721030
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